TY - GEN A1 - Gerold, Stefanie A1 - Hoffmann, Maja A1 - Aigner, Ernest T1 - Towards a critical understanding of work in ecological economics: A postwork perspective T2 - Ecological Economics N2 - In this paper we critically assess common perceptions of work to inform current debates on work in ecological economics. Work is usually conceived as (1) a productive activity (2) that satisfies consumer demand, (3) is conducive to health and well-being, and (4) ensures social inclusion and personal development. Drawing on the burgeoning literature of postwork or critiques of work, we argue that work may rather be understood as a biophysically intense, consumption-causing, heteronomous institution with ambivalent health impacts that stabilises societies in environmentally and socially unsustainable ways. Therefore, work should be radically reduced and organised differently so that it is no longer the main mechanism for livelihood provisioning and social inclusion. Based on our fourfold critique of work developed in this paper, we sketch out a postwork research agenda for ecological economics. Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2023.107935 SN - 1873-6106 VL - 212 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Gerold, Stefanie A1 - Hoffmann, Maja A1 - Aigner, Ernest T1 - Towards a Critical Appraisal of Work in Ecological Economics: A Moral Economy Perspective T2 - SSRN eLibrary N2 - In this paper, we critically assess common perceptions of work to inform current debates on work in ecological economics from a moral economy perspective. Due to veiled moral assumptions, work is usually uncritically conceived as (1) a productive activity (2) that satisfies consumer demand, (3) is conducive to health and well-being, and (4) ensures social inclusion and personal development. Drawing on the burgeoning literature of ‘postwork’ or critiques of work, we demonstrate that work may rather be understood as a biophysically intense, consumption-causing, heteronomous institution, with ambivalent health impacts, that stabilises societies in environmentally and socially unsustainable ways. A social-ecological transformation thus requires to fundamentally question modern-day work. Ecological economics could therefore greatly gain from a more critical perspective on work. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4196768 SN - 1556-5068 SP - 1 EP - 18 ER -